All City of Shreveport employees earning less than $75,000 a year would get a 5 percent raise in 2018 under Mayor Ollie Tyler's proposed budget.

Sherricka Fields, the city's assistant chief administrative officer, provided an overview of next year’s budget at the city council meeting Tuesday.

Key changes in the proposed $491.4 million budget:

The employee raises would cost $1.7 million.

For police and fire , the raise would include the 2 percent increase to base pay that the state requires for fire employees and the matching 2 percent the city has traditionally given to police employees — for an additional 3 percent.

$200 million for water and sewer repairs to meet requirements under a federal court decree agreed to by the city.

$8.3 million for future roadway projects from the Streets Special Revenue Fund, involving no transfer of funds from the General Fund.

Tyler said in a press release that the budget creates opportunities for “greater efficiencies while maintaining a high level of operations” despite challenges from a stagnant economy.

Goals include retaining and recruiting quality employees and providing the “necessary resources” essential for those employees to competently perform their jobs, she said.

“We remain resolved to continue to improve city services and create a better and enhanced quality of life for our citizens and visitors,” Tyler said. “The vision of this administration remains steadfast and true to provide every citizen with a safe environment, economic opportunity, education and training, and a great quality of life.”

The city council must approve the budget. The mayor's proposal probably will be changed before it is approved.

“These are non-critical positions. Fire and police we consider critical positions,” Tyler said. “We are hiring as many police officers as we can, and we’ve seen growth in that.”

Under the proposed budget, a majority of the city’s general fund would be spent on public safety — with 26 percent going to the police department and 25 percent going to the fire department.

Provisions for both the police and fire departments include the 5 percent pay raise for civil service employees as well as restoration of a uniform allowance of $400, up from $200 since 2014.

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Sherricka Fields, the assistant chief administrative officer for the City of Shreveport, presented the Shreveport city council with an overview of the 2018 proposed budget on Tuesday.(Photo: Lex Talamo/The Times)

“When I came aboard, there was some concern from employees in both of those departments, so we wanted to restore what had been taken,” Tyler said.

The police department also would get $1 million to buy 25 new police patrol vehicles and an additional $100,000 for overtime patrol. The fire department would get $600,000 to buy a new 107-foot aerial ladder truck to replace one totaled in a rollover accident.

Fields said two major obligations for the next year include more than $580,000 to pay for increased health care benefit costs for employees and more than $831,000 for increased retirement contributions.

Councilman Willie Bradford asked Tyler if the proposed details were a “sound proposal” or whether she foresees circumstances that would cause revenue to fall short of projections.

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The proposed 2018 budget includes a 5 percent pay raise for police, $1 million allocated for 25 new patrol vehicles and a $400 uniform allowance per officer.(Photo: Lex Talamo/The Times)

Tyler said that the budget’s details were “conservative” and that the city may actually see more revenue than is projected.

“We feel there will be a surplus because we are projecting very conservatively,” she said. “We’d rather overestimate, rather than underestimate.”

Under the budget, the city would set aside $4.7 million for operating reserves, or 2 percent of the budget, for emergencies and to guarantee sufficient cash flow during seasonal variations.

Councilman Jeff Everson said the mayor's proposal would not reflect a “surplus” but rather a building toward the recommended reserve of 7 percent.

“Until we get above that 7 percent recommended level, it’s not really a ‘surplus’,” Everson said. “Let’s not think of it as extra money.”

Tyler and other council members agreed.

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The proposed operating budget for the City of Shreveport in 2018 currently is $491.4 million.(Photo: Lex Talamo/The Times)

Council members thanked administration officials for the budget overview presentation and said they looked forward to continued discussions.

“The criticism always comes in the details, so we need to look at that,” Everson said afterward. “But it was a good overview and I commend you on your efforts to stay focused on the concerns of the public.”

The city has scheduled multiple work sessions regarding the proposed budget’s details for November, with a public hearing set for Nov. 14 at 3 p.m.